A Children's Game
by Hatcheter
Summary: A one-shot cross-over/fusion, placing Shinji and Asuka in the Battle School of Ender's Game.


Disclaimer: I don't own Ender's Game. That belongs to Orson Scott Card and Tor Books. I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, either. That came from Hideaki Anno and Gainax. I hope I'm fairly original in combining the two, though.  
  
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A CHILDREN'S GAME  
  
-  
  
As the shuttle rocketed into space, the passengers either gripped their armrests in fear, or squealed in glee at the thrill of launch. The scene was repeated when the shuttle reached zero gravity, though a few of the passengers had to avail themselves of the space sickness bags.  
  
Sitting next to a window near the middle of the cabin, one boy seemed to be unaware of the loss of gravity. An unruly mop of brown hair waved in the null-g, occasionally flopping forward over sad blue eyes. He stared out the tiny window, watching the Earth's surface slowly shrink.  
  
"Nani? Nani, Otusan?" he whispered to himself.  
  
"You're father can't answer you now."  
  
The boy turned to look at the child next to him, taking notice of her for the first time. The redhead stared at him, curiously. "You speak Japanese?" he asked, using the Standard that was expected of him.  
  
The girl grinned at him. "Of course. My mama was from Japan, so I learned her language, too."  
  
"But, didn't you come to the space port from Europe?"  
  
"Yes, dummkopf. That's why I speak Standard and German, too."  
  
His eyes dropped. "Oh. Your mother must be very proud."  
  
The girl's smile faded. "My mama is dead. My new mama didn't like me, so I came here to live."  
  
The boy looked at her again. "You're like me then. My mother died too, a few years ago. My father didn't seem to want me anymore, so he sent me here."  
  
"Baka. You only get to go to Battle School if you're very, very smart. Not because you lost your mama." The two children were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, the girl turned to the boy again. "What's you're name?"  
  
"Shinji Ikari."  
  
"Well, Shinji Ikari, since we're in the same launch group, we might as well be friends. I'm Asuka Soryu Langley." She stuck out her hand, like a grown-up would.  
  
Shinji shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Asuka-chan."  
  
Asuka promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Baka. We're soldiers now. You can't call me 'chan'."  
  
"Okay, Asuka-chan." Shinji's eyes went wide when he realized he had slipped again. "Gomen," he muttered, slapping his hands over his mouth.  
  
Asuka raised her hand again, but then stopped. "Shinji-baka," she said, shaking her head.  
  
Both five-year-olds began laughing, a first for both in many days.  
  
-  
  
Six years later  
  
-  
  
"I can't stand it! I can't stand it! I CAN'T STAND IT!"  
  
Shinji stood quietly, just inside the door, while Asuka kicked her locker in. He had never seen her this angry before. He did know from past experiences that, if the locker door got dented any worse, it would be impossible to open. Asuka would have to get it replaced. Again.  
  
Fortunately, Asuka remembered that too. She stopped kicking and sat down heavily on her bed. "I can't believe I lost to that runt."  
  
Shinji sat on the chair "We all lost, Asuka. The whole army."  
  
"It's my army, Shinji," she argued. "I'm responsible for the loss. It goes on my record. And I have to go face the other Commanders, having lost to that...that...that Bugger lover!"  
  
"Don't call Ender that," grumbled Shinji.  
  
"Sorry," Asuka said, not apologizing at all. "I forgot how much you licked Wiggin's boots back when he had open practices."  
  
Shinji glared at his commander. "You never had a problem learning what he had to teach." Though she wouldn't admit it, Asuka had learned a lot from Ender, back when he was just a soldier holding open practice during his free time. She proved it in the day's battle, where she gave Ender his toughest challenge yet.  
  
Shinji tried to be encouraging. "Besides, one loss won't affect our ranking, Asuka-chan."  
  
"You've never been in the commander's mess, Shinji-baka. They don't post a team's history, only the commander's record. Panther Army was at the top of the list, before Wiggin and his Dragons arrived."  
  
"Oh." Shinji said, though he was well aware of that fact. Asuka reminded him of it every week, and how Panther Army had won over 75% of its battles in the ten months she had commanded it.  
  
Another detail about the happenings in the commander's mess occurred to her. "I'll have you know that not a week goes by when some commander asks me to trade the Invincible Shinji to their team."  
  
"Really?" asked Shinji, feeling a small ego boost. He knew his battle statistics were among the best in all categories, but he didn't know it had gotten him noticed. "But I be to nice for trade, neh?"  
  
"Neh!" Asuka retorted in soldier's slang. "After the effort it took to get you in my army, I won't accept anything less than two soldiers of your caliber in return." Both children laughed. A two-for-one trade was impossible.  
  
Asuka lay back on her bed, visibly relaxing. "You know what sucks the worst about today?" she asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That idiot Thomas is the one who got me."  
  
Shinji sighed. "Crazy Tom? I told you he was better than he seemed."  
  
"He wouldn't listen to me, you, or the other toon leaders. What was I supposed to do?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe he just needed a kick to get serious."  
  
"I should have been able to do that, after all the times I've had to give you a kick in the pants to get your act together."  
  
"Not to mention the times you've slapped me, punched me, shoved me, or the time you shut me in my locker."  
  
Asuka smiled. "Hey, you asked me to help you see if you could fit inside. You never said I was supposed to let you back out." Both children laughed, at one of the better memories of their first week in the launchy barracks.  
  
Asuka closed her eyes and lay quietly for several minutes. Shinji wondered if she had fallen asleep. He idly folded and unfolded the small piece of paper in his hands.  
  
Asuka opened her eyes and glanced over at him. She knew what the paper was used for. "Shinji, are they taking you away from me?"  
  
Shinji nodded. "I'm being promoted. I take command of Hammerhead army this evening."  
  
Asuka sat up fully now. A wide range of emotions danced across her face, before she finally settled on a small smile. "Congratulations, Shinji. Hammerhead has good soldiers. With a competent commander, they should do well." She leaned forward. "You should make them great."  
  
Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Asuka-chan."  
  
Asuka jumped to her feet, pulling Shinji off his chair. "Baka! Don't look so depressed. This is your big chance to prove yourself. And you better do well, Shinji. If you don't people might think I don't know how to train my soldiers."  
  
Shinji smiled. "Heh. Well, then I guess I can't let you down." He turned toward the door, but stopped when he thought Asuka was going to say something more. When she didn't, he turned toward her. "Good luck, Shinji," she finally whispered. Her hand reached around him, pushing the button to open the door. "Now go see your stupid army," she said, shoving him into the hall.  
  
Shinji smiled and walked away. "I won't let you down, Asuka-chan."  
  
In her room, Asuka removed her flash suit and lay down on her bed. Between the day's battle and the departure of her best friend, her nerves were shot. For the first time in years, she felt the urge to cry. She fought it off, and soon fell into a fitful sleep. She didn't wake until her other toon leaders arrived, for their pre-practice meeting.  
  
-  
  
Shinji rolled out of bed when the lights turned on. He still wasn't used to sleeping in his own room. After years of sharing a barracks with 39 other children, he was used to a certain amount of noise during the night. The silence of the small room disturbed him slightly.  
  
He glanced at the calendar over his desk. Today was his twelfth birthday. Not that those things were ever celebrated in Battle School. Still, it was a point of pride for him that he had made Commander before then. Among the students, it was believed that those who were Commanders by age 11 were guaranteed a future in Command School. Someday, when they were teenagers.  
  
He didn't notice the slip of paper until he stepped on it. Battle orders always arrived in the early morning, before the commander was awake. It was Shinji's first. What better way to celebrate his birthday?  
  
He picked up the paper and turned it over.  
  
Panther Army, Asuka Langley, 0700  
  
Shinji stared at it for a moment. Putting him against his old army was highly unusual. Then again, nothing was normal about the game anymore. Not after Ender's Dragon Army had torn through it's opposition, winning ten battles in less than two weeks. Before that, armies only fought once every two weeks.  
  
Of course, before Dragon, Commanders got three months to train their army before their first battle. Shinji had led the Hammerheads for barely two weeks.  
  
He quickly put on his uniform and walked to his soldiers' barracks. The room, which was full of the sound of waking children, grew quiet. The soldiers had quickly grown to respect their new commander, who was much quieter and more patient than the previous one.  
  
Shinji held the paper up. "We fight Panther Army in fifty-six minutes. Everybody get dressed, and get down to the gym to warm up."  
  
Shinji turned and headed to the gym, intent on leading by example. He had quickly come to trust his 'toon leaders to make sure that the other soldiers obeyed. Asuka's analysis had been correct. Hammerhead was a very talented, well-disciplined army that had lacked a good combat leader. Now he would find out if that's what he was.  
  
His army quickly arrived, to find their Commander running on a treadmill. They were soon all running and stretching, preparing for their battle.  
  
His wasn't the only army there. Trying to emulate Ender Wiggin's success, almost all Commanders had intensive warm-ups before battle. It had been part of Dragon's routine, so it must help, right? Soldiers from three other armies crowded the gym.  
  
Asuka was there, too, alongside her soldiers. She smirked at Shinji, a confident, arrogant expression. Shinji had never received it from her before.  
  
He had never been her enemy before. The thought scared him a little.  
  
At 0730, Shinji called the Hammerheads out of the gym. They returned to their barracks, and took their time getting into the flash suits. At 0745, he lead them off at a jog, taking a longer route to the battle room, just to make sure they were fully awake.  
  
The army assembled inside the gate, four minutes before the match. Shinji took a moment to look over his troops. He had picked up several launchies when he took over, who were replacing graduated soldiers. None of them had been in a real battle, and looked nervous. Most of the other soldiers looked anxious to start, while the 'toon leaders were all calm.  
  
With one minute to go, Shinji stood at the front of the small room and faced his troops. "Which way is the enemy gate?" he asked.  
  
"Down!" they chorused. Another battle tactic that had taken hold thanks to Ender. His simple perception about the battle room had given him a distinct advantage while attacking. Most soldiers struggled to grasp the concept that had helped Dragon Army to so many victories.  
  
In front of him, the gate disappeared. Shinji quickly sized up the battle room. A dozen stars, huge cubes that provided cover and obstacles, were scattered randomly around the room. They seemed to be closer to the walls, leaving a large, open space in the center of the room.  
  
Shinji quickly passed out his orders. "C toon, slide down the north wall and engage anyone who comes into the open. A toon, grab that west star and give them cover fire. B toon, slide down the west wall and take the star further forward. E toon, go down the south wall, D toon takes the east wall and charge those stars. I'll be with A toon."  
  
As he ordered each eight-soldier unit, or toon, it sprang into action. The soldiers ran forward, grabbing the handholds that lined the top, bottom, and sides of the gate, and swung out into the zero gravity battle room. They soared through the air, following Shinji's orders precisely. Shinji stood in the gate and watched them for a moment. He felt he had a chance to win!  
  
He looked forward, at the gate at the far end of the battle room. Asuka stood there, observing the battlefield, just as he did. She stepped through the gate and floated into the battle room.  
  
Shinji did the same. Instantly, his perception shifted. Forward, Asuka's gate, became down. The ceiling became north, floor was south, and the right and left walls were now east and west.  
  
He twisted his body so his feet pointed toward the other gate, and folded his legs under himself. That way, he presented a smaller target profile, and would take only leg hits, which would not affect his fighting ability. Effectively, he had a shield to protect his body and arms from more important hits.  
  
D toon was the first to encounter their enemy. Shinji had taken a risk, sending them the furthest forward. Asuka had the same plan, but the stars were closer to her gate. They came under fire, but their leg first position allowed them to return fire for a moment before their flash suits froze up.  
  
A and C toons managed to provide support, and their combined fire took out a half-dozen Panthers before all of D toon was disabled. The soldiers' flash suits went dark as they froze up, immobilizing the soldiers until the battle was over.  
  
After D toon was finished, the Panthers turned on C toon, which was exposed on the north wall. The combined fire quickly removed those soldiers from combat. By that time, E toon had slipped under several stars, suddenly appearing in the middle of the Panthers. Those eight soldiers had excellent kill totals for that game.  
  
While Asuka's team was focused on the infiltrators, Shinji was barking new orders. "A toon, leap frog B." He quickly lead the toon down the wall, stopping where the other one was hiding and sniping at any Panther that popped up. A toon continued down, taking shelter behind another star.  
  
Shinji could see Panthers moving against the east wall. He raised his pistol and fired, as did the toon around him. At that range, the laser had to be held on target for a full second in order to freeze the target. Shinji's soldiers got several torso shots before the Panthers slid in behind the star. The frozen Panthers, unable to stop themselves, floated out the other side.  
  
"A toon, go northeast," ordered Shinji. The toon leader nodded and launched for the star Shinji indicated, which would give them a commanding view of the battle room. Shinji slipped down to the star B toon hid behind. Only six members of that toon remained.  
  
He peeked around the star, and saw almost thirty soldiers floating in the area. E toon, and all the Panthers they took down with them. Shinji turned to his toon leader to give another order, when the boy's suit froze up. Shinji quickly pushed of the star, bouncing off the wall and propelling himself into open space. He turned and fired at the Panthers that had flanked him, taking two out before he flew behind another star. He missed the handholds and bounced off, spinning sickeningly. He managed to grab a hold on the wall and stop.  
  
The battle had broken up into a series of individual fights, as the few remaining Hammerheads and Panthers fought for their lives. Shinji scanned for a target, and spotted Asuka. With a yell, he shoved off the wall and twisted so that his bent legs faced her.  
  
Asuka saw him and did the same. They soared toward each other, unable to get a fatal shot around their shielding legs. The two commanders collided, spinning away from each other. Asuka was a heartbeat quicker than Shinji, sweeping her laser across his helmet before he could do the same to her.  
  
Shinji's whole suit froze up, immobilizing him. The small lights on his suit went out, indicating that he was no longer participating in the battle.  
  
He heard firing for a moment more, then silence. There was the sound of a door opening. He knew that this would be a teacher, stepping in to declare the winner of the battle.  
  
"Hammerhead Army has been eliminated," announced the teacher. "But, with only four soldiers, Panther Army cannot fulfill the victory condition of five remaining soldiers. The battle is a draw."  
  
Shinji smiled to himself. A draw. Not bad for a first battle. His suit unfroze, and he quickly flew down to the south wall, the floor of the battle room. Both armies lined up there, facing each other for the usual congratulations.  
  
Asuka floated forward and offered her hand. "Not bad for your first time, Commander Ikari."  
  
Shinji smiled and shook her hand. "Thank you, Commander Langley."  
  
Asuka turned to her troops. "Panther Army, dismissed!"  
  
Shinji turned and gave the same order to his troops. The teacher floated out through his own door. Shinji turned to see Asuka removing her helmet and gloves. She gently pushed off the floor with her toes, floating to the center of the room. Her long red hair, free of the helmet, waved gently around her.  
  
Shinji stood and watched her. After several minutes, her slow drift took her near a star. She reached out and grabbed onto it, then twisted around to face Shinji. "What are you staring at, baka?"  
  
"Nothing," he answered, suddenly wondering why he was staring.  
  
She floated down next to him and grabbed her gloves and helmet. "So, will you come eat breakfast with me?"  
  
Shinji shook his head. "New Commanders don't eat in the commanders mess until they've won a battle. This was a loss for me."  
  
Asuka shook her head. "Everything has changed, now. With so many new Commanders, and most of them being former Dragons, it's different there. You'll be welcome."  
  
Shinji smiled. "Okay, then, I will come with you, Asuka-chan."  
  
The girl's smile quickly changed to fury. "Baka! Don't call me that in the battle room!" She reached up and smacked him on the back of the head. Being in zero-g, this caused both of them to tumble around the room. They arrived at breakfast several minutes later than they would have liked to.  
  
-  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
This is my first attempt at fan fiction. Please, give me your honest opinions, on everything from the story to my choices in phrasing things. (Please forgive my use of Fanboy Japanese, too ^_^ )  
  
This thing began with a random thought. I was watching Eva and saw my copy of Ender's Game on my desk, and though: "Asuka would do well in Battle School". This is the result.  
  
OOC-ness was necessary. Asuka would have grown up very differently, and I imagine that she probably would have gotten along with her peers when she was 5. Shinji had to be out of character. The Shinji in the anime would have never made it into battle school to begin with.  
  
If you haven't read Ender's Game, you are missing out on one of the best novels ever written. (Personally, I think it would make a great Anime or Manga.) I sometimes wonder if it might have had any small influence on Eva, or if Eva's creator at least read it. Come to think of it, Ender and Shinji are both called "Third". The meanings are vastly different, though.  
  
Thank you for reading, Hatcheter  
  
Begun: July 25th Finished: July 28th 


End file.
